9 months...

9 months!!! last time in a single digit month!  little man is growing and happy.  his stats this month

height: 28.5 (50th%... down from 78% at 6months)

weight: 18.12 (doc said 25th% but when i looked it up it was more like 10% which makes more sense... 6 month was 6th%... jump to 25% thats not right)

head: 18 (50th%)

our doctors visit today was frustrating for so many reasons!  but mostly the doc ( one i have never seen before) was all concerned that daniel wasn't crawling.  she wants to have a therapist come to my house and work with him... what?? thats weird.... he doesn't crawl or pull himself up to stand on furniture or walk around it and she freaked like he was sooooo slow.  it seemed a little hasty to get a therapist.  lots of babies take their time to crawl!! and he is just happy and content to play on his back or sit in one place... grrr...

anyway.  here are some things he is doing:

- smiles at everyone and everyone smiles at him and his crazy hair (which is starting to fall a little more every week)

- sits up really well by himself with nothing supporting him.

- loves peek a boo....

- talks/ babbles all the time, especially when he is alone in his crib after sleeping... he will stay there and talk for nearly 30 min every morning

- eats food well and likes to eat.

- is now using just a bottle... and likes to have fun with it.... ex:

- he learned this is what happens when you shake the bottle while its full...

- he is really sleeping through the night... about 12 hrs.  only occasionally wakes up crying for pacifier or diaper change.

- still only 2 teeth with possibly 4 coming in right now.

- laughs at the funniest things

- ready to be in the big bath, keeps pulling up out of the baby bath... time to move on.

- he likes to roll right up to furniture and then climb in it... or bang on it... scratch it... 

- he also likes to just sit still... haha

- he plays really well by himself and is just a happy happy baby

- he loves the camera... any time i pull it out to take his picture he perks right up and smiles and laughs... 

- he has the prettiest and sweetest face!

he gets a good work out every day just flapping his arms and legs...

- he has started laughing at himself... 

has started saying no.... when i'm trying to feed him.  its hilarious.

- finally figured out how to bounce in his bouncer...

ahh we just love this little guy and are so happy with him!  he's getting so big!!

  

first halloween...

we actually had a pretty fun halloween this year...  first the saturday before halloween we went to a couples party.  our friends in the ward hosted it at their home.  there were treats and lots of chatting and a game... and a costume contest.  we dressed at "prisoners of love" ha!  i found these cheap jail costumes at the store and some handcuffs and then i made a cardboard heart that hung from them... and we walked around for most of the party handcuffed together... it was awkward and hilarious.  we didn't win any prizes, but it was still really fun!  my friend dressed up as Brave which is perfect since she has beautiful red curly hair (so jealous!)

on wednesday i dressed daniel up in his skeleton cotsume and took some pics... he's just so dang cute and loves the camera. every time i pull it out he's gets so excited and just smiles and laughs the whole time...

when chris got home from work we headed over to the park in our neighborhood where the HOA was putting on this block party.... there was free food, bounce houses,  hey rides, and a parade around the neighborhood.  it was really cute and fun for the short time we were there.

the boys waiting in line for food

his face is too funny in this one

but i look cuter in this one

then we went back to our house to watch the parade of kids in costume come by and then we passed out candy.  in our neighborhood everyone just sits in the driveways and passes it out... they also have friends over and make a whole party out of it... next year we will do it right... it was so cold sitting out side!!

our neighbors across the street having a party

it was a fun night and no we did not take daniel around to get candy... we just kept a few pieces of our own. we actually had a ton since our neighbor told us we get flooded with kids... but there weren't too many so we passed out 3 at a time candy cause i didn't not want so much left over and i didn't want to sit outside forever! haha happy halloween!!

grandma's visit...

daniel was soooo excited for grandma karen to come visit us! the day before he just couldn't contain his excitment.... see:

thats right he was showing excitement through his hair!! haha oh that crazy hair.

my mom cam in thursday the 11th and left tuesday the 16th of this month... and it was NOT long enough!!  we had a great time though.  friday she and i went shopping (of course) its what we love to do the most when together.  she also spent lots of time playing with daniel... he was showing her all his new tricks.

friday night we met up with some of the other dentists from base and went mini golfing.  we had a great time and i actually beat chris for the first time... in all fairness though, my mom made up the rule that after everyone made their first shot which ever was the worst shot then became chris' ball... this way my mom wouldn't be so far behind.. haha it was awesome!

saturday we got up and went to willmington an hour away to do some sightseeing there.  first we went to the battleship uss north carolina.  the tour was awesome! we got to see pretty much every level of the ship.  we walked up and down a million stairs (all while i had daniel strapped to the front of me)  the sleeping arrangements were so crazy to see 4 beds stacked on top of one another.  chris loved seeing the dentist office which surprisingly had 4 chairs... 

big battleship guns

daniel driving the ship

after the ship we headed over to the ballamy mansion which is the home of a wealthy bellamy family,,, the house was really neat and had some fascinating "modern" aspects to it.  the upstairs kids rooms had interior windows to help with ventilation and so the parents could see what the children were up to.

yes my mom and i are wearing matching shirts

after the mansion we headed back home and went to dinner at o'charleys.  it was really good and daniel was being so good and cute the whole time.

sunday we went to church and after came back to the house and prepared the usual sunday dinner of salmon, potatoes, carrots, and rolls.  yum!! felt like we were back in vegas!!  after the baby woke from his nap we drove onto base so mom could see the whole place.  we drove by the clinic chris works at and around various points.  we drove out to the beach so she could see the beautiful north carolina beaches.  we walked up and down the beach for a while and picked up a bunch of seashells... she couldn't believe how many there were in good shape... and these tiny smooth little clear rocks.  no sharks teeth this time, but still had fun.  

monday mom and i were super lazy and mostly hung around the house and talked... with a little shopping mixed in.  monday night she babysat daniel so chris and i could go see a movie.. it was so fun to go just the two of us!! she had a good time playing with the baby alone... and took these cute pics

tuesday we shopped a little more and then sadly had to head out to the airport.  i was fine the whole drive there, but when we stopped at the airport i got my moms bags out of the back of the car while she said bye to daniel and when she came to give me a hug she was already bawling... so of course i started bawling and then she walked inside, i got in my car and drove home... and yes i cried the whole 30 min drive home... daniel cried with me the last 15 min. haha we were quite the pair.  it was so fun having my mom come out here and christmas cannot come soon enough!!!!!

8 months...

holy moly.... can u believe it??!! 8 months! my little string bean is 8 months old now.  and just as cute and happy as ever.... 

he is doing well here in NC.  we have a really good schedule going now.  he wakes up between 7:10 and 7:40.... i prefer 7:40 because then i can make it to the gym for a class at 8:30... if he wakes up too early we can't go because he has to go to bed exactly 2 hours after he first wakes up.... (his choice not mine).  here are some other fun facts about little man.

- he is getting better at staying at the gym daycare for the whole hour without crying the whole time... because he discovered his love for puffs and mum mums.   if he just eats the whole time he can make it.  

- his still cries when strangers hold him but he's getting better at letting them hold him for 5 min before he cries.  haha.

- he is eating a ton these days.  he nurses and eats a jar of food in the morning, he nurses and eats 2 jars of food after his first nap, he has a big bottle after his second nap and for dinner he has a big bowl of oatmeal mixed with a jar of food and another jar on the side and then he nurses before bed... and yes with all that he is still amazingly skinny!!! 

- he's skinny because if he is awake he is moving... his arms and legs are constantly flapping.  when i pick him up after a nap it sounds like he is hyperventilating he's so excited and his arms and legs are just going wild!! 

- he says mama all the time now, but more like its a sound... i don't think he's says mama to me.  

- he has discovered his tongue and constantly sticks it out... its so tiny and pointy... so cute!

- he still hate tummy time so now mommy spends tummy time on her tummy too... this way he has something to force him to look up and we can practice his rolling over... he still can't quite roll from tummy to back on his own... he does it occasionally and then other times he's mad cause he's stuck.  

- he still just has 2 of the cutest teeth ever... no signs of others coming in...

- he is still the happiest baby ever... (except for my cousin amy's baby mark... he really is the happiest baby ever!!) but he smiles often and laughs... he's very ticklish and laughs so hard when you tickle his sides and back... especially the insides of his legs... too funny!!

- he is very curious and sees and touches everything within his reach... and reaches hard for the things too far away... he loves shopping with mommy and just grabs everything off the shelves..  

- his hand coordination is great! he can pick up puffs with 2 tiny little fingers and wiggle it around till its in a place he can put it in his mouth and he can take one puff from one hand with the other hand... pretty tricky.

- and oh that hair.... it just gets longer and still stands straight out... it is starting to fall a little in front... 

who could resist that face!!

isn't he just getting so big!

we still love this little guy!! he's so fun and happy and smart! can't wait to see what he learns this month!

september in nc...

we didn't do anything too exciting this month.  we took a few little adventures and mostly settled into more of a daily routine.  we did take a little day trip down to wilmington which is an hour away from us.  they have a cute little downtown area that is right on the water.  we walked around. checked out a few shops and had frozen yogurt and a chocolate caramel apple... yum! daniel loved all of it just laying back in his stroller taking in all the scenery.

we have also started taking nightly walks around the neighborhood to entertain the wee one for that hour before he has to go to bed and he's been up for 3 hours.... he sits so quietly and just looks.   it awesome.  sometimes we stop at the park and let him swing for a bit... he likes it but gets scared or tired after a while.  we have taken him down the slides but he's uninterested in them.  he also occasionally falls asleep on our walks... its just so cute!!  my favorite part is how he sits with his feet up on the little tray of the stroller... can he get any more comfortable??

chris goes to work everyday so to entertain myself and keep busy i have taken on the task of reupholstering a wing back chair my mom gave me... i have a before and during pic... i have mostly finished the project and when its completly done i will post those pics... but since i have two of the same chair i decided to only do one for now and so i have side by side pics of before and during... 

putting the chair back together requires the use of a staple gun and mine is kinda loud and sometimes daniel doesn't like the sound...

woops. sorry bubba...